Megan Maritch and Whitney Coker are teacher coaches at Wando High School in Charleston. They split their time between teaching Algebra and working with their fellow teachers to implement a competency-based, personalized learning system.
Personalized learning has changed the way we look at education. We know that students come to us with different strengths and abilities. However, in the past we were not able to stop and work individually with students to bring them up to the level of rigor required by high school standards. When personalizing learning we are doing just that. We have eliminated the rigid schedule and the concept that all thirty students must move on to the next topic at the same time. Instead we allow students to advocate for themselves saying, “I need help with this” or conversely “I understand this and I am ready to move on.” This allows students to learn it is okay to ask for help, and it allows us as educators the flexibility to work with students and meet their individual needs.
We personalize learning because we understand and value learning differences in our students.
We personalize learning because we understand and value learning differences in our students. In every classroom, students arrive with varying ability levels. Algebra, in particular, requires a solid number sense and budding critical thinking skills. Students in our classroom are offered the choice of how, when, and where they learn, (which may or may not be strongly teacher-advised). Students begin the course with a data-tracker. They are supplied with all the resources and tools necessary to conquer the material, and are given a flexible pace for completion. We then work off of a mastery concept. Student must show mastery of one standard before they can progress to the next. Algebra lends itself beautifully to this model because it is so linear. Other subject areas may find different practices more beneficial.
Looking back over our time teaching in a traditional environment and personalized learning environment we see several distinct differences that we did not expect. We truly believe teaching using the mastery model has given us the opportunity to get to know our students better. We spend more time directly interacting with them and become well informed on exactly what they are confident in and what they struggle with. We know which activities are going to best suited for which students. Most importantly, we can tell our students are more confident in their knowledge and abilities, as a result of being in control of their own learning.